Springfield Township, Lucas County, Ohio
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| Springfield Township, Lucas County, Ohio | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Ohio |
| County | Lucas |
| Area | |
| - Total | 21.6 sq mi (55.8 km²) |
| - Land | 21.5 sq mi (55.7 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.1 km²) |
| Elevation [1] | 633 ft (193 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 24,123 |
| - Density | 1,122.1/sq mi (433.2/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| FIPS code | 39-74123[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1086534[1] |
Springfield Township is one of the eleven townships of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. As of 2000, the total population is 24,123, making it the third most populous part of Lucas County, behind Toledo and Sylvania Township. The township's population growth was up 20.3% between the 1990 and 2000 census. In 1990 the population was 20,045. The township also entirely encompasses the village of Holland, Ohio. Excluding Holland, the township had a population of 22,817 in 2000 and 19,035 in 1990.
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[edit] Geography
Located in the central part of the county, it borders the following townships and cities:
- Sylvania Township - north
- Toledo - east
- Maumee - southeast
- Monclova Township - south
- Spencer Township - west
The village of Holland lies in eastern Springfield Township.
Swan Creek and Wolf Creek run through the township.
[edit] Name and history
It is one of eleven Springfield Townships statewide.
The township was formed on 1836-06-30 by the detachment of land from Waynesfield Township (now Maumee, Ohio). This occurred after Wood County was dismembered and Lucas County formed in 1835. The first session of the County Commissioners at their first meeting held in Toledo on September 14, 1835, was the creation of this new township. The first election of officers was held at the house of William Ford on October 8, 1836, with James Egnew, Thomas Wood and John Burchfield being named trustees. Peter Holloway was named clerk, John Wiltse, treasurer, William Ford, constable, and John Burchfield and John Spencer, justices of the peace.
Springfield Township is located in both the area covered by the Great Black Swamp and Oak Openings, and was mainly settled by immgrants from New England and New York. Many of the original settlers suffered great hardship from the lack of drainage and the "airs" from the swamp. The "History of Toledo and Lucas County, Ohio", states that Dennis Sage was probably the first to settle in the area in 1829, but other records dispute that claim. Daniel Hubbell is shown as one of the first County Commissioners of Wood County when it was formed in 1820. In the 1830 census he is shown as living in Waynesfield Township, while in the 1840 and 1850 census he was counted in Springfield Township. Jacob Wiltse (the father of John Wiltse, one of the first trustees) is named on the monument with his wife, son and daughter-in-law in Springfield Township Cemetery. Jacob Wiltse died in 1827. He and Thomas Wood are responsible for the land where the Cemetery now lies. Both families claim that they had a part in erecting the first church (Methodist) adjacent to it in the 1840s. The Wiltse family later moved to Michigan, but the Wood family remained in the Township and Lucas County.
The Oak Openings region was an area of large, open, sandy savannahs with occasional outcroppings of oak trees and heavy clay soil. Many types of berries grew wild in the area and several settleers took advantage of the soil for that purpose. Strawberries were a mainstay for many years and one family had many acres of cranberries that were cultivated. Although mostly a farming community, residents also took advantage of business in adjacent areas, with sailors being seen there in 1840 as a result of business on the Miami Erie Canal and the Maumee River, railroad men arrived or were so occupied in the 1860s with the running of the first railroad on May 20, 1852 between Toledo and Chicago, through what would later be called Holland, workers were available for the oil fields that appeared in northwest Ohio in the 1870s and 1880s, and finally the automobile industry provided and still provides work for many in the township.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 24,123 people, 9,453 households, and 6,400 families residing in the township. The racial makeup of the township was 88.4% White, 6.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. 2.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 9,453 households out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.03. There was a total of 9,982 housing units in the township, of which 529 (5.3%) were vacant.
In the township the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18 and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.5 years. For every 100 females there were 93.76 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.71 males.
[edit] Schools
Springfield Township school system has four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The schools are Holloway, Crissey, Dorr Street, and Holland Elementary Schools, Springfield Middle School, and Springfield High School.
[edit] Government
The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township clerk, who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the clerkship or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees.
[edit] Transportation
The following highways are important transportation arteries in Springfield Township:
- Interstate 475 from Sylvania Township, Lucas County, Ohio to Monclova Township, Lucas County, Ohio
- U.S. Route 23 Interstate 475/US 23 (Sylvania Township, Lucas County, Ohio to Monclova Township, Lucas County, Ohio)
- State Route 2 "Airport Highway" (Swanton Township, Lucas County, Ohio to Toledo, Ohio)
[edit] References
- ^ a b US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- County website
- Holland Springfield Spencer Historical Society website
- The History of Toledo and Lucas County, Ohio; Clark Waggoner; Munsell & Co., New York, 1888.
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